This title is also available in High Definition from PlayStation Store.

The story so far…

God of War: Ghost of Sparta takes place after the events of the blockbuster God of War on PlayStation 2. Kratos has taken his place amongst the Olympians as the God of War. Ares has been crushed, Olympus beckons but Kratos finds himself still haunted by the visions of his mortal past. However, as images of his brother Deimos and mother Callisto flash vividly before his eyes, Kratos feels that these are more than just visions. After all, with the gods, nothing is ever as it seems.

Setting out on a journey to the city of Atlantis in search of the Temple of Poseidon despite protest from Athena, who had warned that these nightmarish glimpses of his tragic past would come to pass, Kratos encounters the monstrous sea creature Scylla. Battling it, he eventually reaches his mother, lying on a bed, weakened, and close to death. It is here at this moment in time that Kratos finally discovers his father's true identity and begins his bloody quest to find his long-lost brother, Deimos.

Prepare for war with the gods once more as Kratos in God of War: Ghost of Sparta on PSP.

Challenges from the gods

Once you have completed God of War: Ghost of Sparta the action is far from over. There are a number of additional modes for you to test your might in, including Challenge of the Gods, Combat Arena and the Temple of Zeus. In Challenge of the Gods, you're handed tasks to complete by Ares and Athena. These are focused on combat and feature objectives including defeating waves of enemies while opening a series of chests, surviving without taking a single hit from an enemy or smashing a giant chest in less than 30 seconds.

In Combat Arena you can specify the number and types of enemies you want to face in a battle. It's the perfect way to practise attacks and perfect certain skills such as Kratos' counter-attack. One of the most intriguing bonus extras that comes with God of War: Ghost of Sparta on PSP is the unlockable Deimos skin, which is included when you purchase and download the game from PlayStation Store. With it, you can play through God of War III on PlayStation 3 as Kratos' brother. It's a fantastic reason to play through the final part in the epic trilogy once more, especially for diehard God of War fans.

Vengeance is yours

God of War: Ghost of Sparta features a myriad of upgrades relative to God of War: Chains of Olympus, Ready at Dawn Studios' first Kratos adventure on PSP. In it, you will battle through a longer campaign, brawl with larger bosses than before and wield an arsenal of new weaponry and magical abilities. The game also features higher numbers of enemies on-screen, alongside enhanced enemy intelligence.

At the outset of the game you are equipped with Kratos' trademark weapons, the Blades of Athena, which were handed to him at the end of God of War on PlayStation 2 by the goddess herself. As you progress through the game you'll unlock a number of new items including the Arms of Sparta, a sword and shield that are extremely useful for long range attacks and blocking arrows fired by enemies from a distance. Another new addition to Kratos' devastating blades is Thera's Bane, fire blades that transform the Blades of Athena into fiery weapons of mass destruction. This new found ability is perfect for smashing through certain armour that some of the game's tougher enemies wear and can only be destroyed by fire.

Controlling Kratos is simple: light and heavy attacks can be performed by pressing the Square and Triangle buttons respectively, while jumps are mapped to the X button. You can block attacks by holding down the L button and, if timed at the moment just before impact, you can parry an enemy attack by countering with a heavy or light swing of the Blades of Athena.

Be sure to explore some of the amazing scenery in the game as you play through it because there are plenty of hidden items that offer up fantastic rewards including the King's Ring. Once you've found it and completed the game, you can play through a second time while collecting ten times the amount of red orbs than before when you defeat enemies or discover chests loaded with them. These red orbs are essential for upgrading Kratos' weapons and magic, which can be accessed by pressing the START button, so grab as many as you can.